Alarm apparatus for automatic fire-extinguishers



(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 1.

G. O. WORTHINGTON.

ALARM APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC TIRE EXTINGUISHERS.

Patented Oct. 7, 18.84.-

km. a c.

N PETERS. Plmlu-Ldhugmphc (No Model.) 3 SheetsSheeb 2.

O. O. WORTHINGTON.

ALARM APPARATUS FOR. AUTOMATIGFIRE EXTINGUISHERS.

No. 306,202. Patented Oct. 7, 1884.

II L E D. n m m w m m n n m h m m w. s R e T E P N (No Model.) 7 3 SheetsSheet 3.

0.0. WORTHINGTON.

ALARM APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHERS.

No. 306,202. Patented 001;. 7.1884.

UNITED STATES PATENT tries.

GHARLESQ. WVORTHINGTON, OF IRVINGTON, NEXV YORK.

ALARM APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC FIRE=EXTINGUlSHERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 306,202, dated October 7, 1884.

Application filed March 25, 1884.

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES C. Won'rrr- INGTON, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of lrvington, county of estchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Alarm Apparatus for Automatic Fire-Extinguishers, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying draw ings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to an alarm mechanism which is designed for use in connection with what are known as automatic fire extinguishers or sprinklers -that is to say, that class of devices which are so constructed and arranged that the heat occasioned by the break ing out of a fire in their vicinity will operate to release a valve or other similar device con trolling a water-supply and permit the water to be ejected in the form of a shower over a considerable area surrounding the sprinkler, and thus extinguish any fire which may be within the range of such shower. These de vices, although differing greatly in form and construction, have all or nearly all consisted, essentially, of a nozzle which is connected to water-supply pipe and closed by a valve or other similar device, which is held in place, either directly orthrough suitable connections, by an alloy which is fusible at a comparatively low temperature, so that whenever a fire was lighted in the vicinity of one of these sprinklers, so as to raise the temperature of the surrounding air above the melting-point of the alloy, the valve would be released, so as to permit the water to flow, as just stated. These devices have proved very successful in prac tice for the purpose intended, and have gone into extensive use in those places where little or no damage would result from the discharge of water; but a very serious objectionexists to their use in dry-goods stores and other like places where great damage is sure to result from any unnecessary use of waterv in this manner; first, because, owing to the necessarily frail nature of the means by which the valve or other device which confines the water in the sprinkler is held in place, it is liable to become dislocated, so as to cause the water to flow when no fire exists; second, because, even when the valve is not entirely released so as (No model.)

to set the sprinkler in full operation, it is ha I .ble to become slightly dislocated or get out of order to such an extent so as to permit a small amount of water to leak from the sprinkler, and even a small leak, if not detected at once, is liable to cause great damage in establishments of this class; and, third, because when the sprinkler is once set in operation it will continue to operate until the water is shut off from the supply-pipe, which, if notice is not given of the fact, may, and in most instances will, be long after the tire is extinguished, and this continual flow of water would in such places be sure to cause a very great amount of damage.

It is the object of the present invention to obviate these difliculties and to provide devices of this class with an automatic alarm mechanism, by which notice of any escape of water from the sprinkler, occasioned either by the entire displacement of the valve, as in case of a fire or the breaking of the valveretaining devices, or by any slightdisplacement or disorder of the valve which will occasion a leak, will be instantly communicated to the watchman or other person having charge of the building in which the sprinkler is lo cated, or to the fire department, or to any other desired point, so that measures may be at once taken to shut off the water from the supply-pipe and thus prevent damage to the contents of the room or building, or to the building itself in which the sprinkler is lo cated.

To this end the invention consists, broadly, in providing fire-extinguishers or sprinklers of this class with electrical-circuit connections and means whereby the water escaping from the sprinkler, whether in large or small quantity, will make operative the electrical circuit and through a suitable alarm mechanism give notice of the fact at any desired point.

The invention also embraces various details of construction and combinations of parts in an apparatus of this character, all of which will now be fully explained, and particularly pointed out in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a sprinkler provided with the connections for operating an alarm mechanism, the parts being shown in their normal position. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing," the valve released and. the

sprinkler in operation. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the same, taken upon the line 50. Fig. L is a like View taken at right angles to the Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the plate carrying the valve. Fig. 6 is a side elevation showing a modified form of circuit-closing mechanism, and Fig. 7 is a vertical section of the same.

As before stated, these sprinklers dilicr greatly in form and construction; but the present invention, as will hereinafter appear, is equally applicable to any of these forms. one 01' the most common 01: which has been selected for illustrating the principle and application of the invention.

This sprinkler consists, essentially,ol' a noz' zle, 10, which is atlachcd in any convenient manner to a watcrsupply pipe, 23, andis provided with a down ardly-extending yoke, 12, within which is placed a plate, 0,which is provided upon its opposite sides with recesses 8, in which lie the arms of the yoke, the recesses 8 being 01" such size that the plate can move freely up and down between the arms of the yoke. The center of the plate 9 is provided with a suitable packing, T, iorming a valve, which,when the plate is in its raised position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, is pressed against the nozzle 10, so as to close it lightly and pic vent the escape of the water. .llhevalve-plate 9 is also provided upon its edge with an up ward]y-extcnding ilangc, in which. are ibrmed a series of vertical slots, 6,which acl;,when the valve is unsealed, as shown in Fig. 2, to di vide the water issuing from the nozzle into a large number o'l' small streams, and cause itlo fall in the :l'ornl ot a shower around the sprinkler. The valve-plate f) is held in position to close the nozzle by means of a cross-bar, 13, one end ol which rests upon a lug or projection, 5, formed upon one side or arm of the yoke 12,while its op1 ositc end is slotted, so as to embrace a similar lug, 1., formed upon oppositc' arm of the yoke, the free end ol'lhe bar 13 being supported by a curved lever, l-l the upper end of which rests in a notch, 2, formed in the yoke, while its opposite end is secured to the bottom oi the yoke by means of t'usiblc alloy 15.

In. order to provide suitable meansby which the electric circuit can be made operative, so as to give notice of any flow of water from the nozzle 10, the plate 9 is provided upon its up per sidewith an annular groove or depression, l, which is provided with an OPOlllllg, ii, to the edge oit'which is secured a wire or other suitable substance, 16, leading downward and outward and terminating over a cup, 17, cared to one arm oi the yoke 12. The cup 17 is of such depth that the wire 16 will not interfere with the downward movement of the valve-plate 5) when the latter becomes released so as to drop to the position shown in Fig. 2.

/\ To the yoke 12, or to some olher convenient i ust stated, the

part of the sprinkler or its water-supply pipe, there is attached one of the wires I18 19 ct an electric circuit, while the other wire of said circuit enters and terminates in the cup 13?, it

where it is desired thatnoticc ot' the escape ol' water from the sprinkler shall. be iven.

The action of the sprinkler thus equipped will. be as :t'ollows: \V hen the parts arein their normal positions, as shown in Fig. 1, no connection will be formed between the wires 15 ill), so as to complete the circuit tlnrough the alarm mechanism, and consequently no alarmv will be given. it, however, .l'or any reasmi the plate 9 fails to entirely close the end of lhe nozzle 10, so that more or less water is allowed to escape, the water escaping will pass into the recess 1, and thence through the i'mening 3,1"rom which it will be conducted. by the wire 16 downward into the cup 17, where it will accumulate until the cup has been :lillcd above the point at which the wire it) enters, or until it touches the wire, as imli "ated in Fig. t. As soon as this takes place the water in the cup, being a good conductor, will coinplete the circuit between the wires :18 ll) and through the alarm mechanism, so as to give the alarm and. indicate to the watchman or other person that water is escaping from the sprinkler. it, instead of leaking slightly, as plate 5) becomes entirely do tachcd, so as to fall to the position shown in Fig. 2, which will. be the case when the lever 14L becomes displaced either by the melting ol' the alloy 15 or from other cause, the water issuing through the nozzle will. immediately iill the cup 17 and give the alarm in the same manner so that the watchman orother person can visit the room in which the s n-inklcr located and turn oi't' the water from the supply-pipe, so as to prevent unnecessary damage.

in the construct-ion shown in l3 and T. the circuit through the wires 18.1.9 and the alarm mechanism, instead of being completed by connecting these wires through the water accumulated .in the cup 17, is completed by a contactplate, :31, which. :l'orms one arm oi. a bell-crank lever, to the other arm of which. is securtd the cup 17. In lhis case the wires .lH ll) can be both insulated from the sprinkler, so that the latter need not form any part of the circuit.

ilhe operation of the appz'iralus thus constructed substantially the same as that already described. in its normal position, as shown in Fig. (i, the light spring 22 or an equivalent balancing, weight, 27, as shown in dotted lines, operates to hold the contacl;- j)laie Bl. away from the wires 18 19, or one of them, so as to keep the circuit through the alarm mechanism broken.

\Vhen the valve-plate H is As soon, however, as thecup 17 becomes filled with water, either from a slight displacement of the valve-plate 9, so as to cause a leak from the nozzle, or by reason of the displacement of the lever 14, so as to permit the valve-plate to drop entirely away from the nozzle, the weight of the water accumulated in the cup will overcome the tension of the spring 22 or the weight 27, so as to rock the lever to the position shown in Fig. 7, and connect the wires 18 19 and complete the circuit iillIJl'lgll the alarm mechanism.

It will, of course, be seen that many modifications may be made in the details of the apparatus just described without departing from or losing the advantages of the invention.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4', inclusive, the wire 18, instead of being attached to the sprinkler, may be introduced through an insulating-plug into the cup 17, the same as the wire 19, so that the filling of said cup with water will connect the wires directly instead ofindirectly, asj ust described; or the wire 18 may be entirely dispensed with and the water-connection used to take the place of the wire. This latter plan will be particularly advantageous where it is desired to connect a series of sprinklers with the same alarm mechanism,w11ich will usually be the case, as it seldom happens that only a single sprinkler is used in a room or building.

\Vhere sprinklers are used in a number of rooms in the same building, and it is desired to indicate in which particular room the water is leaking or flowing from the sprinkler, an alarm mechanism similar to a hotel-annuncia tor may be employed to indicate the particular room; and the same style of alarm mechanism may be used to indicate in which one of a numberof buildings the water is leaking or flowing from a sprinkler.

Instead of employing a wire, as 16, to conduct the water from the opening 3 to the cup 17, a small tube, or a piece of lamp-wick or other conducting substance, may be used.

\Vith the construction shown in Figs. 6 and 7 the operation may, if preferred, be reversed, so that the alarm mechanism will be operated by the breaking instead of the closing of the electric circuit; and in this case, also, the two' wires forming the circuit may, if preferred, be connected through the sprinkler, as JUS'G described in connection with Figs. 1 to 1inclusive, either by connecting one of the wires to some portion of the sprinkler or by using the water-connections in place of one of the wires.

What is claimed is 1. The combination,with an automatic fire- 6o extinguisher or sprinkler,of electrical circuitconn'ections for operating an alarm mechanism, a cup, as 17, arranged to be filled by the water escaping from the sprinkler, and connections whereby the water in the cup makes operative said electrical circuit to give an alarm, all substantially as described.

2. The combination,with an automatic fireextinguisher or sprinkler provided with a cup, as 17, arranged to be filled by the water es- 7o caping from the sprinkler, of an electrical circuit for operating an alarm mechanism, and connections whereby the water in the cup closes said circuit to give an alarm, all substantially as described.

3. The combination,with an automatic fireextinguisher or sprinkler, of a cup, as 17, arranged to receive the water escaping from said sprinkler, and an electrical circuit passing through or into said cup and connected to an alarm mechanism and so arranged that the water in said cup will complete said circuit and cause an alarm to be given, substantially as described. 7

4c. In an automatic fire extinguisher or 8 5 sprinkler, .the combination,with the nozzle 10 and the valve-plate 9, for closing the same, of the cup 17 means for conducting any water which may leak from said nozzle into said cup, and an electric circuit for operating an alarm 0 mechanism, which circuit is arranged to be made operative by the water thus accumulated, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing 5.

witnesses.

CHAS. G. WORTHINGTON. Vitnesses:

JOSIAH Hanna-n, STILLMAN H. STORY. 

